1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multimedia transmission system, in particular to a video transmission system that provides the ability for a user to request, via a master video server, a video that is stored on at least one video server.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of computer technology, “video files” are computerized data objects comprising sequential moving images that, when displayed or “played,” are similar in nature to the images produced by movie and television technology. Likewise, “audio files” are computerized data objects comprising sequential sound that, when played, are similar in nature to sound recordings of music, voice, or other content. When video and audio files are combined, the result is sometimes referred to as a “video” file or more generically as a “media” file. Of course, this type of file is also referred to as a multimedia file. Media files are computerized data objects comprising both sequential moving images (video) and sequential sound (audio), and may include additional elements such as sequential text or non-sequential data for corresponding or separate use with the media content.
In a traditional file transfer between two computer systems, the receiving computer system cannot utilize the transferred file until the entire file has been received. With large computer files, this transfer process may take considerable time, thereby creating a delay between the time the file transfer is requested and when the file can actually be used. However, streaming media technology provides a solution to this problem through “streaming media files” that are systematically transferred via a continuous stream that allows the inherently-sequential elements of the media file to be played as it is received. Consequently, while streaming media files are usually sent from prerecorded computerized video files, they can also be transferred as a live broadcast feed where the media files' source signals are converted into the media file format and immediately transferred, thereby entirely eliminating the traditional notions of the “beginning” or “end” in regard to live broadcast media files.
Video servers commonly store the video files that are streamed to a requesting computer system. As technology progresses, the video files (media files) continue to grow larger and larger. A particular video server is limited in the number of different media files that it may store and bandwidth may become a problem when there is more than one requesting computer system for the same media file.
Many other problems and disadvantages of the prior art will become apparent to one skilled in the art after comparing such prior art with the present invention as described herein.